This grilled chicken breast recipe is hands down my favorite way to prepare this cut of chicken and prevent it from drying out. Cooking whole chicken breast tends to be one of the easiest things to mess up in the kitchen, yet many people attempt it first! The biggest trick to this recipe is to butterfly the chicken breast ahead of seasoning or marinating to grill it. Butterflying the chicken ensures a quick cooking time that can be done with fairly high heat, resulting in juicy chicken that's perfect for any entree or for slicing and serving over salads and more.
You can use any of our spice blends to make tasty grilled chicken, but we especially love using our GREEK, SAVORY, SUPER GARLIC, or TRIFECTA spice blends.
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast
- juice of 1 lemon or 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Balanced Bites spice blend of choice, we like GREEK Spice Blend, SUPER GARLIC Spice Blend,TACO & FAJITA Spice Blend, or SAVORY Spice Blend
- 2 tbsp coconut oil or ghee
- 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
Instructions
Preheat a grill pan or grill to medium heat.
Place a chicken breast on a cutting board with the thickest side facing you. Set your non-cutting hand on top and, while pressing down slightly on the chicken with your palm (keeping your fingers out straight), begin cutting down the length of the side of the breast, keeping your knife parallel to the cutting board. Carefully slide the knife through the center so that the thickness is cut in half. Continue to slice almost completely through the chicken breast, leaving it connected in the center so that it flattens out to a “butterfly” or heart shape—see the top piece of chicken pictured in this post. The chicken should now be 1/4-1/2 inch thick at most. Repeat with the remaining chicken breasts.
In a large bowl, combine the lemon juice or vinegar with the oregano, salt, and pepper. Add the chicken and turn to evenly coat; allow to marinate for at least 5 minutes. but not more than an hour.
Brush the hot grill pan with the coconut oil or ghee, then cook the chicken for 4 to 5 minutes per side, depending on the thickness of the chicken.
When you notice that the chicken has turned white up around the sides and toward the middle, it's time to flip it. When you take the chicken off the grill, brush it liberally with the extra-virgin olive oil. Allow to sit for at least 5 minutes before slicing to eat.